H.Moser & Cie are back again with another dazzling display of simplistic yet complex artistry with their latest timepiece, the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon. The Schaffhausen-based manufacturer has chosen to use their Endeavour collection as the base for this new timepiece due to what the collection represents. As H.Moser & Cie put it, the Endeavour collection is “an ingeniously elegant approach to minimalism”. The collection features watches that have been stripped down to the bare essentials, only showing what’s necessary and letting the beautiful dial take the center stage.
This latest timepiece features not only a one-minute flying tourbillon but also a minute repeater. The Swiss brand drew on the expertise of Timeless SA, who is a specialist in minute repeater creations. Alongside Timeless SA, H.Moser & Cie developed a brand new design where the position of the chimes and hammers are not seen from the case back, but rather from the dial side! To bring this design to life, however, the two manufacturers had to overcome many technical issues. One of these, in particular, was the chimes. The chimes are normally placed on one level to preserve the finesse of the piece. When placed on dial, however, the chimes had to be curved so that it also doesn’t affect the flying tourbillon, while also keeping the minimalistic design that H.Moser & Cie is striving for.
Design:
The Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon comes in a 43mm titanium case. When H.Moser & Cie was creating the case, a lot of effort went into making sure that the diameter and thickness retained their elegant proportions. The sliding bolt has been fitted with a Teflon runner, to ensure that it slides perfectly and smoothly, and is built into the main plate to save space. To make way for the movement and also allowing space for the soundbox, the case middle has been widened as much as possible. This has amplified the chiming of hours, quarter-hours, and minutes by two-gongs, onto which fall two hammers which are raised based on the information provided by different feeler-spindles.
Titanium was used as the case material due to its properties, such as having a high elastic modulus, which means that the material will deform very little when put under stress. The low density of titanium makes it lightweight and also ensures that it retains the vibrating energy from sound quite well. The dial also features the one-minute flying tourbillon at the 6 o’clock position. Against the backdrop of the Electric Blue dial, which is a brand new shade of blue, the one-minute flying tourbillon seems to float weightlessly and spin in harmony.
Movement:
The movement used for the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon is the brand’s in-house hand-wound HMC 903 calibre. With a frequency of 21, 600 VpH, the HMC 903 calibre can produce a power reserve of approximately 90 hours. The timepiece comes with an open case back where the movement can be seen, along with the beautiful hand-finishing such as the double Moser stripes on the plate and bridges.
H.Moser & Cie have used a black alligator leather strap, which finishes off the classy and elegant look for this overall timepiece. To put it simply, the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon showcases one of the most romantic complications in the world of horology, in an artistic minimalist style.
Specification:
Model Reference: 1903-0500
Case Diameter: 43.0 mm/height: 14.0 mm Titanium, Sliding bolt with runner made from Teflon
Dial: Electric Blue with sunburst pattern, Hammers and chimes on dial side and Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands
Case-back: See-through sapphire crystal case back
Movement: Hand-wound HMC 903 calibre
Power Reserve: 90 hours
Functions: Hours and minutes, Minute repeater with hour, quarter-hour and minute chimes
Strap: Hand-stitched black alligator leather with red lining, Titanium pin buckle, engraved with the Moser logo
